2005 NCPA Nationals
Apr 06 2005 [ Philip ]

APRIL 06, 2005, Orlando FL -- The National Collegiate Paintball Association returns to Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex on April 15, 16 and 17 for the 6th annual National Collegiate Paintball Championship presented by Xbox®. Recognizing the phenomenal growth of the sport of paintball, and of college paintball in particular, Xbox® has enthusiastically signed on as the presenting sponsor of the 2005 Championship while CSTV Networks, Inc. (www.CSTV.com) has joined as a broadcast partner. CSTV will televise the 2005 Championship this summer via a series of three primetime telecasts.

The National Collegiate Paintball Championship presented by Xbox® brings together the “best of the best” college paintball players from around the country to compete for the Class A and Class AA National Championships. Among the participants will be #1 ranked Illinois as well as USC, Penn State, Arizona State, Louisiana State, Oklahoma State, Maryland, Georgia, Drexel and Clemson as well as local favorites Florida State and Florida.

“It has been really exciting to see how the National Collegiate Paintball Championship has grown over the past 6 years, “ said NCPA President Chris Raehl. “The addition of Xbox® as a presenting sponsor shows just how far paintball has come in being accepted as a true sport, with talented and dedicated players, who have a passion for the game. We are also thrilled to have CSTV as our broadcast partner, which will enable us to bring the excitement of paintball to a whole new audience of college sports fans.”

”CSTV’s commitment to championships in all college sports is unprecedented, and our partnership with NCPA is just another example of super-serving the category,” said Tim Pernetti, Senior Vice President, Programming & Talent, CSTV. “The National Collegiate Paintball Championship presented by Xbox® will deliver all the intense competition, strategy and passion of college sports.”

Admission to the National Collegiate Paintball Championship Presented by Xbox® is free for all spectators. In addition to the exciting action on the field all weekend, fans will also be able to play the latest Xbox® games as well.

The growth of the National College Paintball Association has been nothing short of incredible. Since its founding with just 20 clubs in 2000, it has averaged an annual membership increase of 65%. Currently, the NCPA has over 7000 members representing over 250 schools across the country. In general, the sport of paintball has experienced explosive, double-digit annual growth, with the latest statistics showing nearly 10 million participants per year and 1.5 million “frequent” players who play 15 or more days per year.

Teams will play in the College Class A (Long Format), College Class AA (5-man) and High School (5-man) divisions. Entry for 5-man is $300 (with entry fee waivers) and entry for the Wild-Card qualifier for the Class A Finals is $1200. Paint will be available at $35 per case and up.

Event Schedule:

Friday:

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: Class A registration, Field Walking
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Class A Wild-Card Qualifier Matches
2:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Class AA and High School Registration, Field Walking, Check-In

Saturday:

6:30 AM – 7:30 AM: Class AA and High School Registration, Field Walking
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Class A Quarterfinals and Class AA and High School Preliminaries

Sunday:

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM: Class AA Round 2
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM: Class A Semifinals
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Class AA and High School Quarterfinals
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM: Class AA and High School Semifinals
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Class A Finals
2:30 PM – 3 PM: Class AA and High School Finals
3:00 PM: Awards Ceremony


About Xbox®

Xbox® (http://www.xbox.com) is the video game system from Microsoft that brings people together for the most exhilarating game and entertainment experiences. Xbox® delivers an expansive collection of breakthrough games, powerful hardware and the unified Xbox Live™ online service. The tagline, "it's good to play together," captures the spirit of Xbox® as the social hub of the digital entertainment lifestyle. Xbox® is now available in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia.


About CSTV Networks

CSTV Networks is a multi-media company that consists of the first-ever 24-hour college sports television network, College Sports TV; the leading college sports online network, CSTV.com; and the first ever 24-hour college sports radio network, SIRIUS College Sports Radio. Through its numerous platforms, CSTV provides more live college sports games, events, news, information, analysis and broadband content, and reaches more college sports fans, than any other company.

College Sports TV, voted by cable operators as the No. 1 emerging cable network in a 2003 Beta research study, televises regular season and championship event coverage from over 35 men’s and women’s sports across every major collegiate athletic conference, as well as many NCAA and NAIA Championships.

The CSTV.com Broadband Network, which consists of www.CSTV.com and its network of 180 affiliate colleges and athletic conferences, is the No. 1 online source for college sports broadband content, news, information, scores and analysis. The CSTV Broadband Network includes colleges such as Notre Dame, North Carolina, Ohio State and Stanford. SIRIUS College Sports Radio broadcasts a comprehensive package of college football and basketball games from teams representing 16 conferences, including the Big Ten, Big 12, BIG EAST, Pac-10 and SEC, in addition to Notre Dame.

For more information on the 2005 National Collegiate Paintball Championships, please visit www.college-paintball.com/nationals.

Unfortunatly my cable company requires a subscription for that channel. But I'm going to the tourney to watch it with my kids. Can't wait.